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When does testing start?
You forgot the mandatory “spoilers” joke in the title.
Something like 98 days...
Damnit
What's happening after abu dhabi then? I thought i heard russell was getting straight in a merc
There might be something after this race but it means nothing with the changes that are coming in with the new cars
I think there's some days of testing, some for young drivers, some using cars adapted to represent '22 downforce levels, and running the 18" wheels.
Not sure it'll be useful for the general public, it'll be all about teams gathering data on the new tyres with a known car/parameters. They'll all know what numbers they're hitting in the simulator by now, so they'll extrapolate from the test data to see how the think the tyres will be next year.
I foresee a lot of 4-8ish lap runs, with no glory runs, as most of t e teams seem to be on a fairly stable financial footing at the moment.
You really need to get the mods to change the title...not the same otherwise
Or start a new thread and let this one die
I reckon max will retain his title...
controversial?
or win his first
Before I commit to watching next year I want to know who the Race Director is.
Will we even have a Mercedes F1 team in 2022.....
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slowoldman
Full MemberBefore I commit to watching next year I want to know who the Race Director is.
Ross Brawn….. (he is looking to leave his current role)
Yep, we've rookie testing next week with the likes of Robert Schwartzman, Pato O'Ward etc running cars with the new tyres and an aero package designed to be representative of next year's downforce levels, although IIRC Williams is running an unmodified 2021 spec car.
Then we've got the slow-dripfeed of banalities until the 2022 cars are unveiled prior to pre-season testing on the 23rd Feb.
That gives us roughly two and a bit months before we get to see drivers complain about the new regs.
Predictions...
Hamilton will win his 8th title as Verstappen and Russell will constantly be tangling as their driving styles are so similar 😉 This will leave the door open for Lando to get 2nd place. Ferrari will stay roughly where they are and Bottas will continue racing in the midfield...
Predictions:
One team will get the rules worked out and will make step up from the 2021 order for at least the first 5-6 races (maybe McLaren or Ferrari)
One team will get the rules hopelessly wrong and be way off the pace (Haas/Alfa/Williams)
Merc will lose the WDC because they have 2 drivers taking points off each other, Max to actually win his first title
After all the hype, new cars won't look anything like the FIA's mock up
I'm not looking forward to the skinny tyres purely from an aesthetic perspective, however I'm interested to know how much suspension will have to change to make up for considerably less tyre deformation
Hamilton will win next year driving for Ineos Petronas F1.
Verstappen and Russell will constantly be tangling as their driving styles are so similar
This.
Verstappen had an easy ride this year with Bottas being comparatively useless.
I suspect he's going to have his hands full with Russell.
dc1988
Free MemberI’m not looking forward to the skinny tyres purely from an aesthetic perspective, however I’m interested to know how much suspension will have to change to make up for considerably less tyre deformation
It would’ve been really interesting to see the current spec cars race the new tyres first to see that difference. What surprised me is that the 18s aren’t running elastic bands like most road cars seem to, the sidewalls are still pretty big and the overall size is far bigger as a result. Basically they’ve gone for 29ers
Deleted. Wrong post somehow.
Not a prediction as such but Sainz is 33/1 and LeClerc is 16/1.
Doesn't seem daft, I recon Ferrari are going to be right in there next year, they will probably have been putting more effort into their 22 car relative to their 21 compared to Merc and RB early in the season, although without going full Haas.
I'm not sure how much engine development RB will be able to do as all the new facilities and people get up to speed and if Russel and Hamilton spend the year taking points off each other Ferrari champions doesn't sound daft.
Personally I would prefer to see one of the McLaren drivers take it but if I was was a betting man I'd have a couple of quid on Ferrari
I’m not looking forward to the skinny tyres purely from an aesthetic perspective,
You won't notice them as you'll be distracted by the ugly wheel covers! 🙂
I predict there'll be a shedload of tweaks to the sporting regs to attempt to remove ambiguities (it won't, obviously).
And there'll be a new Race Director 😂
Not a prediction as such but Sainz is 33/1 and LeClerc is 16/1.
Why is Leclerc seen as a better bet than Sainz? They've been pretty evenly matched this year I think? (Or is it cos Leclerc is really the de facto unspoken No 1 at Ferrari)
How about Latifi to Redbull?
One team will get the rules worked out and will make step up from the 2021 order for at least the first 5-6 races (maybe McLaren or Ferrari)
a couple of people yesterday in the review of the race said Mercedes have made massive strides on the new car, and are way ahead of other teams....
The Merc engine is still a bit ahead of everyone else on power. I assume they now fully understand the reliability problems and will probably make another small step forward next year. I guess Honda/Red Bull will do the same, so those two should be fully competitive engine-wise. Ferrari and Renault both have major engine upgrades planned, but it's hard to see them overtaking Merc, plus they are more likely to suffer reliability problems if they push hard for performance.
What we saw this year was Merc and Red Bull did a much better job of adapting their cars from circuit to circuit. McLaren, Ferrari, and the others were sometimes really competitive but then would fall way back on other circuits. I think this is because Merc and Red Bull have invested heavily in simulation, plus they have the manufacturing facilities to turn out revised aero kits very quickly. Even if they start off a bit behind, I expect those two teams will be right at the front next year.
Ferrari have excellent infrastructure, their engine should be close to the front, and they have probably been able to focus more resources on next year's car than the front two. I think they will be top three again next year, quite possibly challenging for the championship.
McLaren don't have the resources of the top three teams yet, but they will have been focusing on next year, not this year. They will have a fully competitive engine, so I guess probably somewhere from third to fifth next year. Similar with Renault, they are still rebuilding and their engine is a bit of an unknown, so probably fourth or fifth.
Alpha Tauri should be a solid mid-field car again, but they just don't have the infrastructure to keep up with the bigger teams. If Tsunoda can find some consistency, anywhere from fourth to seventh.
Aston Martin showed this year that their technical department is a long way from the top teams. They obviously did not understand the car that they copied from Merc and didn't know how to overcome the penalty of the new rules. They have two decent drivers, but I can't see them being better than sixth to eighth fastest.
I doubt that Alfa Romeo will be able to keep up with the development rate of the bigger teams, even if they start with a decent car. Bottas is a decent qualifier, but he seems to struggle to pass anyone and the new Chinese guy is a big gamble. Similar with Williams. They are still suffering from years of underinvestment and won't be able to develop their car fast enough to keep up. Albon is a decent driver but he's not in the same league as Russell and Latifi is pretty average. Despite all the talk, I can't see either of those teams really finishing higher than seventh to ninth.
Hass have been putting all their money into next year, but they obviously do not have the technical infrastructure to develop a car through the season. Neither driver has experience of developing a halfway competitive car so they'll probably be right at the back again unless someone else designs an utter dog of a car.
I think Leclerc was hailed as the next big thing but so far hasn’t really shone above anyone - Sainz appears to be better. Is Leclerc the next Ricardo - brilliant in the right car and on the right day but destined to be an occasional race winner but nothing more?
With the brand new cars being so different I’m hoping someone, hopefully more than one team, can pull a Ross Brawn/Brawn F1 trick and come out with a stormer of a car. I’d like to see Williams do it but I would admit it’s a long shot.
I’m hoping someone, hopefully more than one team, can pull a Ross Brawn/Brawn F1 trick and come out with a stormer of a car.
This keeps coming up, but I think it's unlikely. The other big teams didn't develop the double diffuser because they didn't believe it was legal, not because they didn't think of it. Once they redesigned their cars around it, Brawn very quickly got left behind. So, for this to happen, one team would have to find something legal that everyone else didn't spot. Not impossible, but more likely that a big team (like the Honda team that Ross Brawn took over) would find it than a backmarker team like Williams.
One thing that is easy to overlook is that the top teams have invested heavily in manufacturing technology so they can rapidly test new parts in the wind tunnel and have them ready to race in a few weeks. The smaller teams take much longer to get stuff from the wind tunnel to the racetrack because they haven't been able to afford the investment in manufacturing that the rich teams have made. That's been a huge part of Merc's success the last few years - they turn up at the first test with an interim car, run a new aero kit at the second test, have new parts at the first race, and then have a new aero kit once the European races start. A team like Haas would probably take 6 months to do what Merc do in six weeks. So, even if Williams or someone find something special, the big teams will have copied it and have it on track within a few months.
From memory McLaren were very late in adopting the Mercedes engine last year and had to lose a lot of tokens to make it work? They did seem to fade later on in the season, but the new car might give Daniel Ricciardo a chance to show his speed and Lando Norris didn't have much luck either with some of the racing outcomes, but hopefully they'll show some pace and another team in the mix is always good?
So, just suppose Hamilton decides to quit, right now....who would Mercedes replace him with? (Not saying he will, but just suppose....)
Vettel
I was kinda kidding when his name popped into my head, but actually........
Yeah I think he'd be a good call!
Ocon is managed by Wolf and doing well, Piastri to Alpine?
DeVries? A rookie seems unlikely.
Another year for Bottas?
How solid are these contracts? Everyone has a price surely?
Kimi back out of retirement 😀
I'd like to see Ocon, actually! Isn't he managed by Wolff? Also, he's been shaping up nicely this season, often beating Alonso which is impressively
Beaten to it by andrewh!
My thinking with Vettel is that he'd (likely) be a steady hand who'd relish a final go at driving for the most dominant team for years. If he was really up for it he'd be a contender, if he wasn't he'd be a great mentor for Russell. win-win. I also don't think AM would put up a massive fight to make him stay
I also don’t think AM would put up a massive fight to make him stay
No I agree...Wolf and Stroll are big buddies too...and a Merc customer
Ocon seems most likely but they'd have to give Alpine a shed load of cash ...
When does testing start?
Later this week in Lausanne. I predict three rounds before the FIA bring out the safety Barrister and a restart is order on fresh briefings.
Oh you meant the cars, not the regulations?
just suppose Hamilton decides to quit, right now….who would Mercedes replace him with?
Norris, Sainz, Gasly would be top of my list, maybe Alonso too. Obviously, they all have contracts but there will be escape clauses on those regarding taking a seat at a higher placed team.
just suppose Hamilton decides to quit, right now….who would Mercedes replace him with?
It's not entirely Impossible that Verstappen now says he has 'completed F1' and does a Rosberg.
Gasly for 2022 Champ?
I'm a bit late to the party, having mostly allowed F1 to pass me by for the past few years. Can anyone link me to a ready-read update on the tech reg changes due for 2022 cars?
I’m a bit late to the party, having mostly allowed F1 to pass me by for the past few years. Can anyone link me to a ready-read update on the tech reg changes due for 2022 cars?
You are Simone Resta and ICMFP
really can't decide if I like the look of it, or whether it looks just a bit rubbish TBH
Too much black, makes it look fat. Also dont expect them to look much like that show car when they come out, that was a very basic specimen. Get ready for X-wings to come back 😉
I like it! A much cleaner, simpler looking car. Hopefully the real ones won't look too dissimilar.
You know how the new Beetle looks vaugly like an old Beetle and the new Fiat 500 looks vaugly like an old 500, and these retro-style cars have become very fashionable?
I think it looks like someone has done the same with the Ferrari 642
Nose looks a bit ‘Indycar’ for my taste…
Exactly what I was thinking of andrewh! I always prefer clean cars to those with squillions of winglets and turning vanes - even the 2009 era with the high rise skinny rear wing was better than the 2008 hideousness.
I see Verstappen has decided to run #1 next year. I know he's entitled to rules wise, but shows his class quote clearly when he won it like he did.
I see Verstappen has decided to run #1 next year. I know he’s entitled to rules wise, but shows his class quote clearly when he won it like he did.
Also Horner has been saying that he doesn't think Max's title will be tainted by the events of Abu Dhabi and we'll all have forgotten about it when next season starts, because after all lots of titles have been won under controversial circumstances and we've all forgotten about them too. Really, nobody thinks any less of Shumi because he nerfed two of his opponents to try to win the title and parked his car at Monaco etc, and Senna and Prost's rivalry was barely mentioned in the build up to AD.
Have to say, I don't particularly like the new cars, but I probably said the same last time they changed a lot. They look a bit IndyCar or A1 (Or whatever it was called).
I'm sure I'll get used to them.
Another 20kg heavier tho!
Twodogs
Full MemberHave to say, I don’t particularly like the new cars, but I probably said the same last time they changed a lot. They look a bit IndyCar or A1 (Or whatever it was called).
I’m sure I’ll get used to them.
As above though, don't expect them to look like that.
Pook
Full MemberI see Verstappen has decided to run #1 next year. I know he’s entitled to rules wise, but shows his class quote clearly when he won it like he did.
#1 plate should be like the rainbow jersey in cycling, the champ should be using it regardless
Needs a like button.
Bloody hell, Alex Zanardi has more lives than a cat. I am genuinely very happy that he's been allowed home and I hope that he continues to make a good recovery.
Re that Ferrari rendering - while I do actually quite like it, chances are that 2022's Ferrari won't look like that. I regularly moan about how modern cars are approximately the same length as Clacton Pier, so I fully expect that the same teams who brought a sausage fest to F1 back in 2014 will find a way to contrive some seriously offensive aesthetics as they try to exploit the regs.
Nose looks a bit ‘Indycar’ for my taste…
Whole thing reminds me a bit of the STP Paxton Indy car.
@thols2 yep and they had a 100million fine plus lost the championship with a strange gearbox issue and weird tyre decision, which wasn't at all part of the punishment.
Hamilton might already be on eight.
Another team had similar data but no punishment.
Sorry, that tweet was a reply to another tweet that had a picture from the Merc HQ with a copy of Adrian Newey's book on the shelf behind the people. The account that posted the original tweet has been suspended, so the image was probably fake. Still, I would expect that every team on the grid would have got a copy of Newey's book and skimmed it to see if there was anything in there that they didn't already know. The second tweet was obviously meant to be a joke, but doesn't make much sense without the original.
Bad news people - Whinger Spice is staying as redbull principal until at least 2026.
So, slightly (very!) off topic, but I've just heard that Red Bull are teaming up with the Swiss Alinghi team to compete in the next America's Cup. So we have Mercedes/Ineos vs Red Bull/Alinghi....and rumour is Ferrari might team up with Luna Rosa.
Apparently it's a way to continue to employ highly skilled people now the cost cap has come in....and there's a shed load of money sloshing around in the Americas Cup
Haha, and Gordon Murray could pop up with another massive fan and take a debut victory 🤣
So, slightly (very!) off topic, but I’ve just heard that Red Bull are teaming up with the Swiss Alinghi team to compete in the next America’s Cup
Yep well that makes sense. The AC boats are massively about aerodynamics and hydrodynamics now which are probably basically the same thing with the latter being very thick air 😉
And of course, Karen Horner turned up at the presser announcing it....🙄
Apparently it’s a way to continue to employ highly skilled people now the cost cap has come in….and there’s a shed load of money sloshing around in the Americas Cup
I wonder how many of those engineers will ‘play’ at designing F1 parts in their spare time! 🤣🤔
Sailing’s Adrian Newey’s biggest passion if I remember correctly.
I’m not Schumacher or Ferrari fan but I must admit seeing Mick drive one would be very nice indeed.
He's tested for them a couple of times already...
I think Sainz has the second Ferrari seat locked up for as long as he wants it. I'd like to see Mick Schumacher take over Hamilton's Merc seat, assuming he's fast enough.
https://twitter.com/FuteJur/status/1474017434776522757
Really, nobody thinks any less of Shumi because he nerfed two of his opponents to try to win the title and parked his car at Monaco etc,
I think a lot less of the cheating cockwomble.
Really, nobody thinks any less of Shumi because he nerfed two of his opponents to try to win the title and parked his car at Monaco
Oh yes they do.
Really, nobody thinks any less of Shumi because he nerfed two of his opponents to try to win the title and parked his car at Monaco etc,
I think a lot of people did. When he first burst on the scene, he was a breath of fresh air after the Piquet-Mansell-Prost-Senna years. Someone, probably Nigel Roebuck, pointed out that Schumi was the first guy in years to stand on the top step of the podium and actually look happy.
In 1994 he deserved to win on his driving, the Williams was a difficult car, but faster IIRC. Benneton were run by Flavio, Ross Brawn, and Tom Walkinshaw. Brawn always managed to push things to the absolute limit of the rules without going over the line. Flavio has a lifetime ban for his misdeeds and Walkinshaw always pushed things well into gray areas of the regulations. so Benneton and Schumacher ended up with race bans which left Hill in contention for the title. The crash between Schumacher and Hill was plausibly because Shumi was not in control of his car, and he outdrove Hill over the season so that first title wasn't a problem. Schumi deserved that one.
The Villeneuve crash was a different thing. That was a heel turn for me, I simply never had any respect for him again after that. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way, that crash will forever tarnish his undeniably spectacular talents.
Really, nobody thinks any less of Shumi because he nerfed two of his opponents to try to win the title and parked his car at Monaco etc,
Note to self - sarcasm doesn't work so well when written down.